Idea 24 - The “Just One Thing” you can do to make your team happier

Is there “just one thing” every employer can do to make their teams happier?

This summer, I was sitting in a pub with a lawyer and a senior analyst from The City. They were old friends, but they had no idea what job I did. When I told them I teach companies how to make their teams happier, they seemed fascinated.

Their first question?

“So, what’s one thing we could do to make our team happy? They’re all miserable, always complaining. Something quick – we’re all really busy.”

I didn’t know how to answer.

That's me in the middle

Since I started writing and talking about workplace happiness, I’ve explained that there isn’t “just one thing.” There are countless small actions you can take to make teams happier. For the biggest impact, you’ll probably need to implement many of them.

Yet, these days, everyone wants a quick fix. Something they can watch on TikTok, requiring minimal effort but maximum impact.

It’s no wonder that six-pack-promising powdered shakes are more popular than gruelling six-month sit-up challenges.

Is that banana and custard flavour?

So it got me thinking.

Is there really “just one thing” that would make every team happier, no matter who they are?

I believe there is.

Unfortunately, it’s not very sexy. It will take some effort and may feel challenging for many leaders.

But, at least, it’s free.

If you’re a leader, company owner, or team manager, the one thing you can do that I guarantee will make your team happier is…

Talk to them.

Ask your team how they’re feeling and what you or the company can do to make them happier.

I know, it’s quite boring. A pink slide, a table football or fancy cupcakes would have been much easier. And when I told my lawyer friend and her husband, they were a bit disappointed.

But trust me – try it, and you’ll quickly see a difference.

Regular check-ins will be 100x more effective than this piece of office furniture

How to Make Your Team Happier with One Question – Practical Steps

Simply asking your team how they’re feeling and taking note of their responses is a great start. However, there are a few tweaks you can make to make this exercise much more effective.

Make It a Regular Occurrence

When I ran my IT company, I scheduled “coffee with the CEO” sessions with every staff member once a quarter. These were booked into both our calendars months in advance, and no other meetings were allowed to be scheduled over them. This ensured no one was ever overlooked.

Since then we’ve implemented a weekly 1:1 for every staff member and their line manager. 

Let Employees Prepare

I talk a lot about psychological safety and how safe teams are the happiest and highest performing. It’s crucial that your team feels safe in these meetings. Here are a couple of tips: 

• Share the questions you want to ask in advance so they have time to think about their answers and don’t feel put on the spot. 

• In the meeting, stick to those questions so there are no surprises.

Be aware, if this is a new initiative, and your staff don’t know you well, they might not be fully honest at first. But over time, as they see you listening, they’ll begin to open up.

Always Follow Up

In my “coffee with the CEO” sessions, my team would always give me suggestions. I’d write them down, present them to management, and we’d discuss them. We implemented some, but many ideas were never acted upon.

A year after starting my coffee meetings with the team, one of our programmers told me he didn’t want to continue. He said the meetings were pointless because I never listened, and we never did anything he suggested.

I did listen, but he was right – we hadn’t acted on any of his ideas. He had put effort into thinking of solutions for the company and helping others, so he must have felt demoralised.

So, I changed my approach.

When we decided not to use someone’s idea, I made a note of it and I explained why in their next coffee meeting.

That one developer who had said he didn’t want a coffee meeting again, never mentioned again that I didn’t listen and, interestingly, he became even more invested in the wellbeing of the company.

Be Positive

Always start the meeting with something positive. I used to gather good feedback from their team members or celebrate a recent win. It really helps set the tone for a positive meeting.

This Week’s Tip

Schedule a meeting with your team members, ask how they’re feeling, and what you can do to make them happier.

How many and how often?

Google and Facebook recommend weekly 1:1s, with a line manager speaking to 5-7 people / week for about 30 minutes each. When I suggest this, there is usually a lot of push back so start with what you can. Monthly is OK to begin with.

1:1s will make your team more productive, engaged and will stay longer

Adobe  discovered that 1:1s also improve employee retention and lower voluntary exits by 30%, Google’s Project Oxygen found they improve productivity, and according to Gallup, employees who have regular 1:1s are 30% more engaged. 

If you’re not doing 1:1s today it’s probably time you should think about it.

However, if you already run regular check-ins with your team, I’d love to know how it works in your company. Feel free to leave a comment or send me a message.